Not unlike Popeye eating spinach or Superman thrusting his rippling Kryptonian pecs in the direction of the sun’s powerful rays, I like to think that the survival of TMT is forever prolonged by something metaphysical… and yet, assuredly phallic-shaped. Whereas the relatively strict professionalism (*scoff*) of comparable publications often prevents liberal references, it’s a different story over here. We have penises coming out of our ears, which conventional knowledge of human anatomy tells us are directly attached to our heads — the ones containing our brains, silly. Attribution? It certainly preceded Death Grips, so let’s blame it on something inherently comical.

And so it cums with veiny enthusiasm that I’m able to announce the announcement of Weird Universe, the first full-length (but nonetheless satisfying) non-CD-R release from Unicorn Hard-On, the electron-ish and rhythmically intricate project of Valerie Martino, which has been making the rounds in cramped spaces since about 2003. Putting aside the project name for a moment, which Martino unsurprisingly describes as a joke that stuck, but also a reflection of genuine fascination, the album is an attempt at echoing a beat-driven evolution that she’s come to appreciate in the noise scene. Vocals were snubbed as incongruent, and the result is ultimately a “labor of love” fitting to that evolution, as well as the style of the sponsoring label.

Weird Universe is out September 30 on Spectrum Spools. Here’s the official release page, and watch/listen below to get a sense.

P.S. - Major twist at the end of the YouTube video, btw. Where are you Ripley???

Not unlike Popeye eating spinach or Superman thrusting his rippling Kryptonian pecs in the direction of the sun’s powerful rays, I like to think that the survival of TMT is forever prolonged by something metaphysical… and yet, assuredly phallic-shaped. Whereas the relatively strict professionalism (*scoff*) of comparable publications often prevents liberal references, it’s a different story over here. We have penises coming out of our ears, which conventional knowledge of human anatomy tells us are directly attached to our heads — the ones containing our brains, silly. Attribution? It certainly preceded Death Grips, so let’s blame it on something inherently comical.

And so it cums with veiny enthusiasm that I’m able to announce the announcement of Weird Universe, the first full-length (but nonetheless satisfying) non-CD-R release from Unicorn Hard-On, the electron-ish and rhythmically intricate project of Valerie Martino, which has been making the rounds in cramped spaces since about 2003. Putting aside the project name for a moment, which Martino unsurprisingly describes as a joke that stuck, but also a reflection of genuine fascination, the album is an attempt at echoing a beat-driven evolution that she’s come to appreciate in the noise scene. Vocals were snubbed as incongruent, and the result is ultimately a “labor of love” fitting to that evolution, as well as the style of the sponsoring label.

Weird Universe is out September 30 on Spectrum Spools. Here’s the official release page, and watch/listen below to get a sense.

P.S. - Major twist at the end of the YouTube video, btw. Where are you Ripley???

Hey bands! Do you want to record a record? Probably, you’re a band! Are you planning on recording that record at Olympia’s Dub Narcotic Studio? Maybe. If your band holds quite a regard for the K Records catalog, then there’s a much higher chance that, yeah, you’re recording at Dub Narcotic. These days, not only can you get that classic Dub Narcotic sound, you can record with Calvin Johnson himself. You might know him from the likes of Beat Happening, The Halo Benders, the exclamation-point-less Go Team, and owning K Records and the aforementioned Dub Narcotic Studio. HE’S A VERY IMPORTANT MAN.

Johnson is now offering his services as a studio engineer for any band who wants it. BUT HOLD ON, young bucks looking to get some of that Calvin Johnson magic. While anyone can request a session with him, Johnson will only be available three days a month. If you’re dedicated to getting Calvin Johnson to engineer your album, inquire with the studio’s fine folks through studio@krecs.com. Sessions at the studio are $450 per day, which includes engineering fees. Currently, I am saving up my money so that Calvin Johnson will record my spoken-word album and make it sound like Jamboree.

WHAT? Four Tet announced a new studio album, and so far we’ve (I’ve) neglected to cover it? Allow me to remedy that immediately. Four Tet recently announced the upcoming release of Beautiful Rewind, his seventh studio album, and the first of entirely new material since 2010’s There Is Love in You (TMT Review). The public, of which I include cave-dwelling music journalists, hasn’t been given any more information, beyond what was posted to Four Tet’s website a couple of weeks ago. Said information includes the tracklisting, a few credits, a release date of “Coming soon,” and the cover art for the album, which inspires thoughts of what it would be like to trip in a family planning clinic, armed with nothing but a pair of scissors. Those ultrasound images just have too many… right angles!

It’s been a fair while since Pause and Rounds acted as dual revelations of Kieran Hebden’s genius, but as for signs of slowing down, he’s showing none. Of most recent note, besides the new studio album, is his producer role on Omar Souleyman’s debut LP Wenu Wenu, set for release on October 21.

PSYCH! There’s more information concerning Beautiful Rewind, and it comes in the form of sound waves and some dude repeatedly requesting your attention. Listen to the track “Kool FM” below.

Those of us who are creatively or artistically minded — and I consider writing to be, at its core, a creative activity — should know the feeling all too well: inevitable interruptions, sometimes regardless of their length, have the capacity to ruin a creative mindset, to the point where attempts to re-indulge result in blank stares and paranoid thoughts about the inevitable fading away of one’s talents. Obviously, there’s a term in the literary world for this, but apply it on a macro-level to all artistic endeavors, and you have a shared conundrum with probably a subjective, variable solution: is the smell of bacon conducive to creativity? Okay, that’s more like a sub-conundrum.

Axel Willner a.k.a. The Field just has it, though. Recalling the early stages of production for his new album Cupid’s Head, due September 30, he talks about an initial awkwardness, overcome by an inherent genius that arose out of his being like a divine aura. “But then, after a few modest attempts, I got a first loop together and running which turned out (in a short time) to be ‘No. No…’. It was a revelation of sorts as making it felt new to me, and different, and that’s when it all came out.” Color me unsurprised, given the consistent talent on display throughout his discography.

Here’s a deviation, though: Cupid’s Head, following up 2011’s Looping State of Mind (TMT Review), is The Field’s first solo recording since From Here We Go Sublime (TMT Review), and it’s also the first one crafted without the use of computers, which is like, duh… for sure a rarity in contemporary electronic music. Elaborate loops remain a trademark, but to an end that’s “darker,” “slower paced,” and possibly inspired by the decapitation of mythological deities.

Bill Orcutt is back again with yet another full-length. This time he’s not hanging around with his buddies Chris Corsano or Loren Connors. Nope, this time he’s going straight-up stag to the prom, and let me tell you, he looks damn good in that tux. The album is called A History of Every One and it’s out September 30 from Editions Mego. With a title like that it would appear as if this project is even more ambitious than his past efforts in which he merely attempted to play every note on the guitar all at once while riding the instrument down a mountain like a skateboard. A history of everyone? Unless he’s been doing PRISM-level spying on all of us since the beginning of time, that seems to be a pretty tall order. I guess if someone’s going to pull it off, it’s probably going to be Bill Orcutt.

Based on the tracklist — and the first song he’s released, which is ostensibly a cover of Disney’s “Zip a Dee Doo Dah” — the album appears to be a collection of covers of traditional and/or classic songs like “White Christmas,” “When You Wish Upon a Star,” and “Ballad of Davy Crockett,” in which the standard arrangements of “only a few notes every once in awhile” are swapped out for “literally every note always.” Seriously how does he do it? Does he have more than two hands? Is he a wizard? Preorder the album from Editions Mego right now if you’re hoping, like me, that the label will send out a FAQ on the album that will answer such questions and more.